Quick Facts
Biography
Jan Tilman Kirchhoff (German pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈtɪl.man ˈkɪ̯ə.çɔf]; born 1 October 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back and defensive midfielder for Sunderland.
Club career
Mainz 05
Kirchhoff made his professional debut in the 2. Bundesliga for 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 2 November 2008, when he started in a game against Rot Weiss Ahlen. He has been regarded as one of the most talented defenders in the Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich
On 4 January 2013, Kirchhoff signed a pre-contract with Bayern Munich, agreeing to join them for the 2013–14 season as a free agent.
Schalke 04 (loan)
On 27 December 2013, Kirchhoff joined fellow Bundesliga side Schalke 04 on a one-and-a-half year loan until 30 June 2015.
Sunderland
On 7 January 2016, Kirchhoff signed an 18-month contract with Sunderland for an undisclosed fee. On 16 January 2016, Kirchhoff made his debut for Sunderland as a 59th-minute substitute. Kirchhoff made a poor start as he deflected a shot from Christian Eriksen which led to a goal, and conceded a penalty with a foul on Danny Rose. The German was then deployed mainly as a defensive midfielder and earned plaudits due to his precise tackling and passing. Kirchhoff was voted the PFA Fans' Player of the Month for April for his performances as Sunderland fought against relegation. Kirchhoff's efforts paid off as Sunderland managed to survive relegation thanks to a 3–0 win over Everton on 11 May 2016 with goals coming from defenders Patrick van Aanholt and a brace from Lamine Koné.
International career
On 13 November 2007, Kirchhoff debuted for the Germany national U18 football team coming on in the 72nd minute of the match in a 4–0 win over Republic of Ireland U18s. On 7 September 2008, he debuted for the Germany national U19 football team in a 5–0 win over Czech Republic U19s. Kirchhoff scored his first U19 goal on 11 October 2008 in the 55th-minute of the match in a 5–0 win over Lithuania U19s. On 3 September 2009, he debuted for the Germany U21s in a 1–1 draw against Czech Republic U21s and scored his first U21 goal in the 72nd-minute. In 2012, Kirchhoff participated with the U21 team as an important squad member and the team's vice-captain in the 2013 UEFA European U21 Championship qualification, but due to injury he could not take part in the 2013 UEFA European U21 Championship.
Personal life
Kirchhoff's brother Benjamin Kirchhoff is also a professional football defender who plays for VfB Stuttgart II. Kirchhoff's father Theo Kirchhoff is a former footballer who played for German club VfL Germania Leer.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Mainz II | 2007–08 | Oberliga Südwest | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2008–09 | Regionalliga West | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2010–11 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | |||||||||
| Total | 19 | 2 | — | 19 | 2 | — | |||||||
| Mainz | 2008–09 | 2. Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||||||
| 2011–12 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |||||||
| 2012–13 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 58 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 64 | 0 | — | |||||
| Bayern Munich | 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | |||
| Bayern Munich II | 2015–16 | Regionalliga Bayern | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Schalke (loan) | 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 | — | |||
| Sunderland | 2015–16 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | — | |||
| Career total | 121 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 137 | 2 | — | ||
- 1.^ Includes DFB-Pokal and English FA Cup.
- 2.^ Includes English League Cup.
- 3.^ Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Honours
Club
- 2. Bundesliga: Promotion to Bundesliga 2009–10
- Bundesliga: 2013–14, 2015–16
- DFB-Pokal: 2013–14
- UEFA Super Cup: 2013
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2013